The present invention concerns a wristwatch including a support attached to a wristband and a case containing a clockwork movement and display means, the case being mounted on the support so as to be able to slide and be reversed to show respectively one or other of its faces in two operating positions, the support comprising two lateral flanges, the watch including guide means disposed on the one hand on the inner surfaces of said lateral flanges and, on the other hand on the lateral walls of the case to allow said case to slide and pivot in the support, the watch further including means for holding the case in its two operating positions.
A wristwatch of this type has been known for a long time. Additional Certificate No. 41 060 to French Patent No. 712 868 granted on Aug. 3, 1931 shows different variants wherein the case always slides in a perpendicular direction to the longitudinal direction of the wristband, i.e. in the three o""clock-nine o""clock direction of an analogue watch dial. In a first variant, the watch case is free to pivot, to turn over on itself, at any place on the support. In another variant, this pivoting freedom is restricted. Indeed, the arrangement of the mechanism is such that the case can only pivot and be reversed at the ends of the support, recesses being provided for this purpose. The type of watch disclosed includes a case of simple parallelpiped shape, the appearance of which is not particularly elegant. Moreover, this particular shape, such that the four sides of the case have a relatively large height, has the drawback of exposing the watch to external stress, such as for example shocks or friction, because of the existence of projecting parts. This is why this type of watch is made of metal, to avoid it being subjected to damage. However, because the case projects, a shock on the latter can easily cause it to move with respect to the support from its operating position, obliging the person wearing the watch to put it back in place.
The object of the present invention is to improve watches of this type, both from the ergonomic and aesthetic point of view, and to allow new varieties of reversible watches to be created, particularly made of plastic material.
The invention therefore provides a wristwatch of the type indicated hereinbefore, characterised in that the direction in which the case slides is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wristband, and in that, in longitudinal cross-section, each end of the case has a pointed profile so that, in the operating positions, the case and the support are substantially flush with each other in the zone of said ends.
In a particular embodiment, the case has a convex profile on at least one of its faces. Preferably, the two faces of the case have a substantially identical convex profile. The upper edges of the lateral flanges of the support may also have a convex profile similar to that of the case, so that the case and the support are substantially flush with each other over the entire length of the case. The means for securing the wristband, such as horns, may also have an upper part substantially flush with the support, so that the whole watch has a substantially continuous curved profile in its longitudinal direction. The bottom of the support can have a concave profile to match the profile of the case.
In a preferred embodiment, the guide means include longitudinal grooves disposed on the lateral flanges of the support and snugs located on the lateral edges of the case, each able to slide and pivot in the corresponding groove of the support. In this case, both for practical and aesthetic reasons, each of the grooves may be made to include at least one stop, disposed at a distance from its ends, the effect of said stop being to stop the case sliding after a first sliding travel of the snug from one end of the groove, to define a pivoting zone of the case, before the snug effects a second sliding travel to the other end of the groove.
The pivoting of the case will then occur exclusively in the central zone of the support, giving thus a symmetry to the movement and eliminating any risk of inadvertent pivoting caused by a possible abrupt movement of the wrist which could raise the case from its operating position.